Love Changes, But Never Dies
by shiney1983
Summary: When Sam makes a romantic gesture towards Brittany in glee club, it sparks feelings the blonde thought she'd laid to rest...feelings for a certain Latina. She sets out for the East Coast, determined to make things right. In the end, Brittany will discover the true definition of right, and that sometimes, 'getting the girl,' doesn't mean exactly what we think it does.
1. Bram, An Ending

_Love Changes, But Never Dies_

_By Shiney1983_

**A/N: This is a deeply personal story for me. When you review keep in mind, my heart is in this one guys. As always, I want to know your thoughts and I hope you enjoy!**

**Dedicated to Angel; who came in to my life and changed it, and me, for the better, forever. You will always be my best friend. For me, love changes, but never dies.**

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_**Chapter 1: Bram, an ending**_

Brittany Pierce sat in glee club totally zoning out. Mr. Schue was, as usual, going on and on about his personal life, which Brittany never, ever thought related to his lessons in glee.

The blonde felt her boyfriend, Sam Evans, squeeze her hand. Their blue eyes locked, and Brittany smiled at the boy.

Sam seemed nervous, though Brittany couldn't figure out why. Of everyone she'd ever dated, the effervescent blonde could always read Sam, but not today. It didn't bother her, however. He'd share when he was ready; he always did.

"Mr. Schue," Sam asked, earning the choir director's attention. The curly-haired man furrowed his brow in response. "Can I…umm…do the thing now?" He licked his lips.

_Yep, he's definitely nervous, _Brittany thought.

"Oh, of course Sam," Will responded, rubbing his hands together.

Sam kissed Brittany's cheek and stood.

"Guys," Will continued, "Sam has a very special performance for us. Sam, you have the floor."

Sam pulled up a stool and sat, running his hands through his hair. He found Brittany's eyes and searched them with his own. She offered him, what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Umm, this is for Brittany," Sam spoke, his voice a little shaky. "Baby, I know we're gonna graduate soon, but I really hope the end of school isn't the end of us."

The male blonde turned pick up his guitar and started strumming. Brittany smiled. It was one of her favorite long songs.

When they'd started dating, she'd shared her favorite performance of the song, JC Chasez's Mickey Mouse Club solo, with him. Sam grinned at her insisting it be their song, and from that point on, it was.

Unfortunately, as Sam started to sing, all the wrong memories were entering his girlfriend's mind…

"_**Whenever I'm weary from the battles that rage**_

_**In my head, you make sense of madness when my sanity hangs by a thread…"**_

_**-Santana holding her and kissing away her tears after Artie called her stupid-**_

"_**I lose my way, but still you seem to understand. Now and forever, I will be your man."**_

_-Santana's promise that they would be together always, before she left for Louisville, the first time-_

Brittany looked down at her hands as tears stung her eyes. Santana had broken that promise, right here, in the choir room. Now, she had Sam. Sam, who was sweet, and made her feel smart. Sam, who loved her.

The cheerleader shook her head slightly, wiped away a tear away, and looked back up at the boy. She was determined to shake the Latina from her thoughts. It didn't work...

"_**Sometimes I just hold you, too caught up in me to see, I'm holding a fortune that heaven has given to me,"**_

_**-A blonde girl and her brunette love sharing a dance on Valentine's Day as the "God Squad" sang for them-**_

"_**I'll try to show you each and every way I can, now and forever, I will be you man"**_

_-A playlist she'd made for Santana that same Valentine's day-_

Every line was a new memory, and with every line Brittany's heart broke a little more, both for her and the boy in front of her sharing his heart. If only her heart didn't belong to another. The blue-eyed girl reasoned, as tears filled her eyes, that maybe it always had.

She stood so quickly she knocked over a chair. She didn't bother to turn and set it upright. She bolted…before Sam could see her heartbreak…before she could break his.

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He found her, two hours later, at the park…the place that had always been a sanctuary for Brittany…and Santana.

The old swing next to Brittany creaked as he sat. She didn't look at him, she couldn't.

"Britt, I'm sorry," he spoke, licking his lips. "That was stupid of me. The song was ours. It should've stayed that way."

The girl shivered, though she wasn't cold. "No, it isn't that. Don't use that word, don't call yourself that."

She looked up at him for the first time since he'd found her. He looked contrite, and it wounded her as his blue eyes filled with tears. "What is it, then, baby? What did I do?"

She felt guilty, horrible really. He hadn't done anything wrong. He was perfect. He just wasn't her…he wasn't Santana.

She sighed, "It's not you," she breathed out, sadly. "It's her, it's always been her."

She heard Sam let out a breath, and then he rose and ran a hand through his hair. "Jesus, Brittany," he muttered through gritted teeth.

He was mad. Sam never got mad at her. Brittany hated it when people were mad at her. She gripped the chains of the swing and tried to steel herself.

The boy was pacing back and forth, but stopped right in front of her when he spoke, no, yelled.

"She left you, Brittany! She fucking left you…more than once!"

Sam hardly ever swore.

"She didn't mean to," Brittany whispered, more to herself than him. "She was scared."

"She moved, Brittany…to New York! That's like fifteen hours away!" He almost spat at her that time.

Brittany winced. "I told her to," she offered weakly.

Sam stepped toward her, "When will you stop defending her," he asked, his fist clenched at his sides.

"Sam," a voice ordered, hard and cold. "Walk away, now."

"Quinn?"

Brittany looked up and Sam turned, both blondes surprised by the presence of the third.

"What are you doing here," he questioned, anger still lacing his tone.

"I came to visit my mom," was the blonde's careful answer. "I ran into Kitty at the Lima Bean, she told me what happened earlier in glee, and I figured Brittany might be here." She peered around Sam. "Hey Britt," she greeted.

"Hey Q." Brittany's reply was sad and tired, nearly automatic.

"Sam," Quinn started, taking a stepped toward her former beau, "will you go and let me talk to Brittany, please?"

Sam sighed and visibly relaxed. "Yeah, I guess," he answered. Then, he turned back toward the girl he loved. He knelt in front of the swing and took her hand. "Britt," he whispered, causing her to look up, "I'm so sorry. I just…I'm so tired of fighting the ghost of Santana Lopez."

She gave him a half smile. "So am I." She hoped he knew what she meant, and, as usual, he seemed to. He kissed her forward and stood, placing a hand on Quinn's shoulder as he passed.

Quinn shuffled toward the swing set slowly. Without a word, she started to push Brittany, and as the swing sprang to life, Brittany relaxed. By the time Quinn stopped, the taller blonde was smiling.

Quinn smiled into her friend's should as she leaned down to hug the girl from behind.

"I've missed you, Q," Brittany said, breaking the silence of the last several minutes.

"Me too," the addressee confirmed, and then she suggested the pair go feed the ducks.

Brittany agreed, and slipped her hand into Quinn's. Neither spoke again until they had been throwing bread for a while.

"Quinn, do you think Santana and I belong together," Brittany asked her eyes never leaving the pond.

The hazel-eyed beauty glanced at the other girl, and bit her lip, carefully formulating an answer. At last, she spoke, her words slow and deliberate. "I think…that you two…belong in each other's lives."

Brittany nodded. After several minutes waiting for her to speak, Quinn asked, "So…what are you going to do now?"

"The only thing I can do," the cheerleader responded, "I'm going to New York."


	2. Brittana, A Beginning

_Love Changes, But Never Dies_

_By Shiney1983_

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**_Chapter 2: Brittana, a beginning_**

Brittany couldn't believe it. She was really here. She was in New York. She was standing outside Santana's front door. It had taken some convincing, but Brittany had gotten the address to Santana's most current dwelling from Rachel.

The blonde had been standing still for the last five minutes working up the nerve to knock, but she wasn't nervous. She would get her girl back, she knew it. She would look Santana in the eye and convince her that the distance didn't matter, that New York and Lima were just locations; that they belonged where they always had, together.

Slowly, she climbed the steps of the Latina's house. She was a bit surprised to find that her hand was shaking when she raised it to knock.

Brittany heard movement from inside, the door swung open, and there she was…Santana in all her glory. Her beauty still left the blonde speechless.

The brunette had been smiling when she answered, but it faded quickly when she saw her unexpected visitor. "Brittany," she breathed, shocked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Brittany mumbled, finding her voice in spite of her suddenly dry throat.

Santana opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a voice Brittany didn't recognize.

"You know, babe, if you keep forgetting to tip the pizza guy he's gonna stop delivering here…" the redhead's voice trailed off as Brittany came into view.

As if in slow motion, blue eyes shifted from brown to green and back again, until the blue eyes filled with tears. Strangled by the limp rising in her throat, Brittany spun on her heel and ran.

From behind her, she thought she her someone whisper 'go,' and Santana calling her name, but she didn't stop. She ran as though running might make her heart beat again, because it had stopped the moment she realized Santana had moved on.

She finally collapsed two blocks from the house, when her legs gave out from beneath her, and she sank to the curb. She felt Santana sit behind her, but neither spoke, as both needed to catch their breaths.

"Britt, what are you doing here," Santana finally repeated.

"I came to get you back." It sounded so dumb now, so empty, and so hollow. Brittany felt numb.

"Oh," was an equally dumb response, Brittany thought.

The pair was quiet for what seemed like forever. Neither knew what to say as sobs wracked Brittany's body, and her heart sat a useless, painful rock in her chest. Finally, Santana inched over to hold Brittany, and, in the arms of her protector, her cries silenced.

"Do you love her?" The question was muffled by Santana's shirt, which the blonde was still buried in.

"No," Santana answered quickly. She held Brittany tighter, bracing her, as she added, "I think maybe I could… someday."

"Oh."

_Yep_, Brittany thought, _it is a dumb response._

"She's amazing, Britt," Santana said softly, as she began to rock the pair back and forth. "She's smart and funny, sweet and sassy. She's so kind. She puts up with all my shit, and calls me on a lot of it. For some strange reason, I think she loves me."

Brittany pulled away and sat up, wiping her tear-stained face with her sleeve. "That's not strange at all, San. It's awesome. It's everything you deserve."

"Thanks," Santana said, a smile entering her tone.

For a while, Brittany stared at her hands, pressing them together so hard they hurt. Then cautiously, she asked, "Can I meet her?"

"I think she'd love that. I know I would." There it was; Santana's patented 'Brittany' smile.

Up until that moment, Brittany didn't know how much she'd missed it. She knew for sure that she'd do anything to make sure she saw it forever, even befriend Santana's girlfriend. That last word still stung, but Brittany was determined not to let it show.

She stood, and extended her pinkie toward her best friend. "You coming," she asked smiling through the pain.

Santana got up, took the proffered appendage, and the two walked leisurely back the way they'd come.

The brunette bumped the blonde's side. "You know Britt; you're kind of a genius."

"I know," Brittany replied, genuinely laughing, "My best friend tells me that all the time."

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_**A/N: Thoughts, comments, questions? Review please, it'll make me smile. **_


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